Image: The Indian team played without Jasprit Bumrah in the second Test / © ESPNcricinfo
India’s tour of England didn’t have a good start for the Indian team, as the bowlers were unable to take wickets. This resulted in the team starting the series with a loss. However, as they headed to the second match, Jasprit Bumrah was made unavailable due to workload management.
With Bumrah being unavailable, fans and analysts criticised the team’s management and said that the bowling line-up lacked depth. Still, India went against all the criticisms and defeated England by a margin of 336 runs. This was not only a win for the team without Bumrah, but it was also their first win over England in Birmingham.
Ever since Jasprit Bumrah made his debut for the Indian cricket team, there have been theories that the team may not be able to win without him in overseas matches. However, the facts show that India has a higher winning percentage in Test matches without Jasprit Bumrah since he has made his debut for the team.
| Result | With Bumrah | Without Bumrah |
|---|---|---|
| Tests | 46 | 27 |
| Won | 20 | 19 |
| Lost | 22 | 5 |
| Drawn | 5 | 3 |
| Win Rate | 43% | 70% |
His contribution to the team has always remained at the top, as he is a walking cheat code for the team to take wickets. But in his absence, is the Indian bowling line-up able to add depth to the same, which has helped to enhance the winning percentage? Let’s assess how India has performed in Tests with Bumrah and without Bumrah.
With Jasprit Bumrah, India holds a winning percentage of just 43%, as the team has won just 20 of the 46 Test matches where Bumrah was also a part of the playing XI. The key victories secured by the Indian team with Bumrah are as follows:
During the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Rohit Sharma, the skipper, was not available due to Bumrah was announced as the captain for the first match. Being the team’s skipper, he also led the team from the front, dominating the Aussies with his bowling skills.
India was bowled out for just 150, as Bumrah’s five-wicket haul helped the team bowl out Australia for just 104 runs. Further, India started off well in the third innings and declared at 487, giving a target of 534 runs to Australia.
Once again during the chase, Jasprit Bumrah showcased his dominance, as he took 3 wickets. India ended up winning the match by 295 runs, and Bumrah received the Player of the Match award for taking 8 wickets in the game. This was India’s biggest win against Australia in away games.
The famous Lord’s win secured by the Indian team in the second match of the England tour also had the contribution of Jasprit Bumrah with the ball. In this match, India batted first and were able to finish their innings at the score of 364 runs.
Jasprit Bumrah was not able to perform well in England’s first innings, as he finished his spell taking no wickets. But, he remained economical, conceding just 79 runs in 26 overs, which also included 6 maidens. Further, India went on to score 298 runs for the loss of 8 wickets, where Bumrah remained not out, scoring 34 runs.
England now had the target of 272 runs, and this is where Bumrah showcased his dominance. He took the wickets of Rory Burns, Joe Root, and Ollie Robinson, finishing the match with three wickets in the final innings. India ended up securing a famous win at Lord’s, which is remembered to date.
The India tour of Australia 2018 has forever been historic for the team, as they secured the first series win over Australia in the away Tests. With the series tied 1-1, both teams faced each other at Melbourne, where Bumrah played a vital role with the ball.
Batting first, India was able to score 443 runs for the loss of 7 wickets before the team declared. In Australia’s first innings, their batsmen faced the wrath of Jasprit Bumrah, who took 6 wickets and conceded just 33 runs. He took the wickets of Marcus Harris, Shaun Marsh, Travis Head, and a few more.
Further, India went on to score 106 runs for the loss of 8 wickets before the team declared, giving Australia a target of 399 runs. While Australia was chasing the target, Bumrah again took 3 wickets, finishing the match with India’s win by 137 runs. For his bowling skills, Jasprit Bumrah also won the Player of the Match award, as he took 9 wickets.
This shows that Jasprit Bumrah has been a part of the Indian team in various historic wins, showcasing his contribution in all the matches.
Since Jasprit Bumrah has made his debut for the Indian team, there have been a number of Tests that the team played in his absence. Along with that, the team’s winning percentage in Tests without Bumrah stands at 70%, which is much higher than the wins secured with him. Let’s now take a look at some of the historic Test wins by the Indian team without Jasprit Bumrah.
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2020-21 stood at the score of 1-1, as India and Australia clashed against each other at the Gabba. Here, the team faced various issues, as star players like Jasprit Bumrah and Virat Kohli were unavailable for the team. Although Kohli’s space was duly filled, there were questions for Bumrah.
Australia batted first in this match and ended up scoring 369 runs, and this total was considered a bit higher than usual. With the ball, Natarajan, Thakur, and Washington Sundar took 3 wickets each, as Siraj took one wicket, contributing equally to the wickets column. Further, India went on to score 336 runs in its first innings.
Australia, coming out to set a target for India to chase, got all out at the score of 294 runs. This time, Mohammed Siraj took 5 wickets and Shardul Thakur took 4 wickets, playing a major role in India’s bowling line-up. India also went on to win the match by 3 wickets, which made it a historic win for the team.
India’s one of the biggest wins against England in terms of margin in a Test match came in 2021, when Bumrah was rested for just one match. This match was being played in Chennai, and India decided to bat first. This decision helped the team to finish their innings with a score of 329.
England’s first innings was filled with utter dominance of the Indian bowlers, as they bowled them all out at the score of 134. In this innings, Ravichandran Ashwin bagged 5 wickets, as Ishant Sharma and Axar Patel took 2 wickets each. India dominated with the bat in its second innings, finishing at the score of 286.
Now, England had to chase down the target of 482 runs, and it was truly impossible for the team. As a result, India bowled them all out at the score of 164, winning the match by 317 runs. Axar Patel bagged a five-wicket haul in this innings. Ashwin ended up taking 8 wickets in total, which helped him to be the POTM.
Once again, Jasprit Bumrah went on to miss the second Test match against England, in the India tour of England 2025. With his exclusion, fans and analysts thought it would be challenging for India to win the match, considering the fact that they are playing at Edgbaston, where they have never won a match previously.
In this match, India batted first and with Captain Gill’s double century, the team ended up scoring 587 runs in the first innings. When England came out to bat in the second innings, they were restricted to just 407 runs. In this, Akash Deep took 4 wickets, and Mohammed Siraj ended up taking 6 wickets alone.
Even in the third innings, the Indian batsmen were able to dominate over England, as the team declared at the score of 427 runs for the loss of 6 wickets. Now, England had to chase down the target of 608 runs to win the match or extend it till the end of the fifth day to prevent India from winning.
But the Indian bowling line-up did the job well, as they bowled out England for just 271 runs, winning the game by 336 runs. Akash Deep took 6 wickets in the second innings and ended up taking 10 wickets in this match alone. Shubman Gill received the Player of the Match award for scoring 269 and 161 runs in both innings. This win was historic for India as it was the first win at Edgbaston.
Although India has won a higher percentage of Test matches without Jasprit Bumrah, it can’t be denied that Bumrah gives his best with the ball whenever he plays for the team. In just 46 Test matches, he has crossed the 200 wickets mark and remains a generational star for the Indian bowling line-up.
The wins secured by the Indian team in his absence show the depth India has in its bowling line-up, adding more to the strength of the team. It shows that if Bumrah is unavailable to play, Siraj, with the other bowlers, will be able to handle the job easily, removing all the team’s burden of taking wickets from one bowler.